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Georgia Tech University researchers say they have created the first piezoelectric-powered device, which could allow people to charge their cell phones with electricity created by an ordinary motion like walking. Using nanowires to collect charges, professor Z.L. Wang said the research team has successfully generated up to 1.26 volts and expect to surpass that soon.

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U.S. researchers plan to develop a safer pain drug that works by blocking the effect of "heat messengers" after discovering that heat in the body stimulates the capsaicin receptor, a pathway to pain neurons. Capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers spicy, is produced by cells in response to heat, causing nerves to feel pain, according to the study.

A U.S. court cleared LyondellBasell's reorganization plan on Friday, allowing the firm to exit bankruptcy protection by April 30 and gain listing on the New York Stock Exchange by the third quarter of 2010, the company said. "Through this reorganization, we have solidly positioned the company to be an industry leader with a significantly improved balance sheet, excellent liquidity, a more efficient organizational structure and a new management team," LyondellBasell CEO Jim Gallogly said in a statement.

Experts estimate that each e-mail costs a person at least four minutes of lost time, Tiffany Monhollon writes. To determine whether you are hurting others' productivity by sending too many e-mails, count the number of messages you send to each person in one day -- including copies of other messages -- and then multiply that by four minutes, she writes.

Italian chemical producer Piovan has established its U.S. unit, Piovan PET Systems, to supply systems and equipment to North American PET producers, two years after the firm bought U.S.-based Universal Dynamics to build its presence on the continent. "The PET business, and packaging, is one industry sector that has been growing and will be growing in the future. We're seeing increased business opportunities," said Giorgio Santella, Piovan's director of marketing for global operations.

The recent sale of Philisa Technology to Streck Laboratories is an example of how the University of Nebraska Medical Center and NUtech Ventures are helping new technology ventures become commercial. The institutions will get a share of the proceeds, which will be reinvested in other research. Streck officials said a polymerase chain reaction thermocycler developed by Philisa will give them a new avenue for growth.